Haruno Sakura, meanwhile, nearly ended her opponent in a single stroke with her Chakra Scalpel.
If it hadn't been for the fact that her opponent was wearing the high-mobility model of the Chakra Armor, they likely would have had their throat slit in the first exchange.
Just as the team was about to finish off these two ninja, a sudden explosion erupted beside them, shattering their formation. The Shadow Clones Naruto had summoned vanished instantly into clouds of smoke.
The violent blast blanketed everyone currently in combat, indifferent to friend or foe.
When the smoke finally cleared, all the Snow Ninja had vanished. Along with them, the target they were supposed to protect—Princess Kazahana Koyuki—was gone.
"Look up there!"
Sasuke, possessing the keenest vision, pointed toward the sky.
High above, an airship was slowly ascending. Wisps of white smoke drifted from the rows of cannon muzzles lining its underside. Simultaneously, on the far horizon, several vehicles mounted with cannons were rapidly retreating.
It was clear that although they had underestimated their opponents' strength, by committing nearly every capable ninja in the Land of Snow and deploying airships and artillery, they had successfully completed their objective.
A (Fourth Raikage): "That power..."
Ay thought of the Chakra Cannon his own village was currently researching. While these cannons couldn't compare to the caliber or destructive potential of the Hidden Cloud's experimental weapon, the reality was sobering. Their own Chakra Cannon was still in the early stages of development; they were a long way from perfecting the technology.
Yet, the Land of Snow's Chakra Cannons were already operational and powerful enough to kill ninja. Most importantly, they seemed easy to operate. Any ninja with Chakra—or even a civilian capable of refining it—could use them.
As a leader of a hidden village, he knew exactly what this meant. It meant that as long as they could handle the weapon, even an ordinary person who had just learned to refine Chakra could pose a threat to a Jonin!
The Konoha Jonin, Kakashi and Asuma, had just demonstrated how battered and endangered they could be under such a barrage. If a direct hit landed, it would mean certain death.
Onoki: "Lord Doto, my Hidden Stone Village would like to engage in a friendly exchange with your noble country. I wonder if you would be open to it?"
Kazahana Doto: "..."
What could Doto even say? Could he refuse?
The truth was, he hadn't actually finished researching everything shown on the Sky Screen. While some technologies were mature, resource limitations meant he hadn't had the chance to manufacture them yet. In other words, he currently had very little leverage to negotiate with the major ninja villages!
"Lord Doto, we've brought her back."
Kazahana Doto turned immediately to face Kazahana Koyuki.
"Koyuki, you've finally returned. Your uncle has been waiting quite a long time."
"Heh... spare me. You want this, don't you? Fine, take it."
With a cold sneer, Koyuki unclasped the Hexagonal Crystal from her neck and handed it over without the slightest hint of attachment.
Having spent years hiding and running, she felt no desire to resist the powerful Doto. In fact, giving up the crystal felt like a weight being lifted from her shoulders.
But was that really the case? Then why did she feel such a bitter sense of resentment? Koyuki lowered her head, hiding her expression from the others.
"Excellent! Now, the Secret Treasure of the Land of Snow is mine!" Doto laughed with manic excitement.
Asama Sandayu: "Princess! How could you just..."
Sandayu was practically in tears. We were prepared to fight to the death; why did Your Highness surrender so easily?
Kazahana Sosetsu: "Doto... was it all for this?"
Kazahana Doto: "That's right! With the Secret Treasure of the Land of Snow, I can lead this nation out of this wasteland and conquer the entire Ninja World!"
Kazahana Sosetsu: "In the end, you are still driven by your own ambition. But what you don't understand is that the treasure is nothing like what you imagine."
Kazahana Doto: "What do you mean by that?"
Kazahana Sosetsu: "Sigh... just keep watching."
The power struggle within the Land of Snow was nothing new to the spectators. What they truly wanted to know was what role Uchiha Hoshi played in all this—and how the Second Honkai Impact would break out, and if it could be stopped. The tragic state of Konoha was fresh in their minds; they hadn't forgotten.
"The Honkai Energy is beginning to converge."
Sensing the shift in the atmosphere, Uchiha Hoshi glanced at the dejected Koyuki before leading the Star Eater away.
"Let's go. The hypnotic effect of the Sharingan on Kazahana Koyuki is about to wear off. It isn't the right time for us to appear before her yet."
"Yes, Master."
Hoshi didn't go far. She trailed them from a distance, using the Byakugan for long-range observation.
"Every time I reconstruct the Byakugan, it gives me a strange sensation. Is it because of... the Honkai Energy?"
Observing the slight reaction the Byakugan had upon contact with Honkai Energy, Hoshi decided not to delve into it just yet.
"Forget it. When there's a chance later, I'll have my Original Body study the various Bloodline Limits of Konoha together. For now, the most important thing is the coronation of the Second Herrscher."
Doto took Koyuki aboard the airship and headed toward the site of the Secret Treasure. However, shortly after takeoff, they came under fire.
"What's going on?" Doto demanded angrily.
"Report! We are taking fire from below. It's the Konoha ninja!" his subordinate reported hastily.
"Dammit, at a time like this!"
"Ignore them! Increase altitude! Order the other airships and ground forces to provide cover. No matter what, no one stops me from getting the treasure today!"
Below, Kakashi watched the airship climb higher while the return fire from the train in the distance grew more intense. He hesitated, but ultimately chose not to use his Mangekyo. The distance was one factor, but more importantly, if Koyuki was still on that ship and he accidentally harmed the client, the mission would be a failure.
"Kakashi?"
"Let's move for now. If we get surrounded, we're in trouble."
Asuma and Kakashi led their respective squads to break through the encirclement. However, they didn't abandon the mission; instead, they trailed the airship from a distance.
"Well, look who we have here. The Konoha ninja... so they're still alive?"
From afar, Uchiha Hoshi spotted Kakashi and the others, a look of genuine delight spreading across her face.
"It's been five years, hasn't it? To be honest, I've actually missed them a little."
"Should I... send them a gift?"